Say hello to my easy mutton curry recipe! Quick, simple, and incredibly tasty, and its ready in under an hour. I'm talking about tender, pull apart mutton that melts in your mouth.
Planning on making Mutton Curry? Serve it with Jeera Rice, No Yeast Naan, Basmati Rice or Garlic Cheese Kulcha
I always thought making mutton curry is a long and laborious process that needs hours of prep and cooking time. But you shouldn't have to wait so much for good things in life!
But this easy mutton curry recipe is different. What I love about this recipe is that it requires very little prep, uses simple, everyday ingredients and is ready in under an hour. If you’re wondering how, I’ve got you! I have simply replaced long hours of prep and marination with a store-bought mutton curry masala and it has been a complete game changer! This means that my lamb curry is now ready in half the original time without any compromise on taste! The result - a heartwarming mutton curry that’s homely, spicy and a total flavour bomb!
Watch the Recipe Video
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Easy Indian Mutton Curry (Pressure Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 kg Mutton / Lamb bone-in, cut into medium sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Salt divided
- 4 tablespoons Mustard Oil
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 3-4 Cardamom Pods
- 3-4 Cloves
- 4 Green chillies slit lengthwise
- 3 large Onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 5 large Tomatoes finely chopped or pureed
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 4 tablespoons Meat Masala different from curry powder, look for meat masala in Indian grocery stores
- 2 Potatoes quartered (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi optional but highly recommended
- 1 inch piece Ginger julienned
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Butter
Instructions
- Add turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt to the mutton or lamb and rub all over. Set aside while you prep everything else
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker (electric or stovetop) and saute fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for a minute. Add two green chillies, onions and ginger garlic paste. Cook this for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally till the onions are a deep brown.
- Add tomatoes, coriander powder, meat masala and the remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes till the tomatoes break down slightly.
- Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Add mutton, potatoes and two cups of water and put the lid on. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes (5-6 whistles).
- Instant Pot: If using an electric pressure cooker or an instant pot, cook for 20 minutes on high pressurenand let the pressure release naturally or manually release the pressure after 15 minutes.
- Once the pressure is released, open the lid and switch on the flame again. Add more water if the gravy is too thick. Stir in garam masala, kasuri methi (if using), remaining green chillies, julienned ginger and ghee and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
- Check and adjust seasoning. Let the curry rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Any cut of lamb or mutton is good for this curry but make sure its bone-in. Shoulder works best as it has the best flavour and tenderises really well
- Meat masala is easily available at Indian stores. I use Lala's brand, Everest masalas are also highly recommended.
- Kasuri Methi is dried fenugreek leaves that help round up the flavours in the dal makhani. Its available on amazon, and is used in many Indian recipes (on this blog), so stocking it won't be a waste
- Don't skimp on the oil in the recipe. This is necessary for the masalas to fry properly as well as for the lamb pieces to toast well.
- Feel free to adjust the spice levels based on your tastes by reducing or increasing the green chillies
- Cut the mutton pieces into similar sizes to help them cook evenly.
- To make this recipe even quicker and easier you can use a food processor to chop the onions and tomatoes. Once everything is chopped and ready, all would need to do is fry and pressure cook until done.
- Make sure to cook the onions really well before adding the meat - to the point of them becoming deep brown. Bhunoing the masala is an important step as it helps to release flavours and is what gives your mutton curry that typical dark brown colour.
- If you are using frozen mutton, make sure to thaw it out properly on the kitchen counter before adding it to the pressure cooker
Nutrition
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Mutton Curry
This mutton curry recipe uses onions and tomatoes as the base, which is then flavoured using different whole and ground spices. The hero ingredient of this recipe is the meat masala (different from curry powder most commonly available abroad), responsible for giving this whole dish that distinctive warm and spicy flavour.
- Mutton / Lamb: Use good quality mutton pieces, preferably with bones to make this dish a whole lot tastier.
- Turmeric: Helps eliminate that slightly gamey taste of raw mutton.
- Oil: I like using mustard oil, but any other cooking oil will work
- Spices: This recipe mainly uses whole spices to pack in a tonne of flavour. I have used fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and green chillies. Apart from this, you’d also need some coriander powder and garam masala for an extra flavour boost.
- Meat Masala: Hands down the star ingredient of the whole dish and the reason why it comes together so quickly. I've used readymade Mutton Masala. This is different from curry powder so specifically look for meat masala, chicken masala or mutton masala. In the U.S. you can buy it on Amazon / If you are in the U.K. buy it here on Amazon
- Onions and tomatoes: Both finely chopped and used to form the base of this curry. You can even puree the tomatoes to save yourself some time and effort.
- Potatoes: Potatoes soak up the flavour from the meat and masalas, thereby enhancing the whole dish. Not a necessary ingredient, but highly recommended.
- Kasuri methi: Dried fenugreek leaves - A commonly used ingredient in Indian curries added at the end for a hint of smokiness and to bring everything together. Even though this one’s optional too, it’s one I highly recommend using.
- Ghee or butter: Takes the flavour of the whole dish a notch higher. Do not skimp on this!
Which cut of mutton is good for curry?
I personally prefer using shoulder cuts of lamb or goat when making curries or stews. Some people prefer to use the legs or rump, while some recipes use a mix of mutton pieces from different parts. However, I would highly recommend using bone-in mutton or lamb pieces as they pack a tonne of flavour and taste so much better when used in stews and curries.
Is goat meat and mutton the same thing?
In most countries around the world, mutton meat means lamb and is different from goat meat. But in India, mutton is referred to as both sheep and goat meat, and is often used interchangeably.
How to make Mutton Curry
Here's a quick step by step to show you how to make mutton curry:
- Add turmeric and salt to the mutton or lamb and rub all over. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker (electric or stovetop) and saute fennel seeds, bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves for a minute.
- Add two green chillies, onions and ginger garlic paste. Cook this for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally till the onions are a deep brown. This is called bhuno.
- Add tomatoes, coriander powder, meat masala and salt and cook for 5 minutes till the tomatoes break down slightly.
5. Add mutton, potatoes and two cups of water and put the lid on.
6. If using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 20-25 minutes (5-6 whistles). For the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and let the pressure release naturally or manually release the pressure after 15 minutes.
7. Once the pressure is released, open the lid and switch on the flame again. Add more water if the gravy is too thick. Stir in garam masala, kasuri methi (if using), remaining green chillies, julienned ginger and ghee and simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
8. Check and adjust seasoning. Let the curry rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Why is my mutton chewy?
An important step to prevent chewy mutton is to either marinate the mutton before cooking it or allow it to cook in the pressure cooker for enough time. This process is called tenderising and is what helps your meat become soft and perfect tender.
Which is the best mutton curry in India?
Such a tough one to answer - Mutton curry is a very popular dish in India and most states have their own versions that taste incredible. Some other mutton curry recipes you need to try are mutton keema, kosha mangsho, rogan josh and mutton korma. Some mutton recipes I personally love and keep making all the time include this easy one pot mutton kofta curry, slow cooker lamb curry, Kerala mutton stew and my all-time favourite mutton biryani!
I usually serve my mutton curries with either rice or rotis with a side of sliced onions for a complete, heartwarming meal. You can even serve yours with naan or garlic kulcha especially if you are making this for guests.
SNS says
I do not have the lala's readymade masala nor any meat ready made masalas. Pls advise.
Richa says
Hey there, you can use a mix of 2 tablespoons coriander powder, 1 tablespoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon jeera powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper powder instead of a ready made masala.
Farida Banu says
weekend special recipe. thank you
sunita nimbalkar says
Thanks Richa for such a quick and awesome mutton recipe. Its simply yummy.
Richa says
Thanks Sunita!
Kitty says
Hi,I do not own a pressure cooker so do you know how long approximately I will have to simmer the curry on the stove please?thank you!
Richa says
Hey Kitty, mutton or lamb can take a long time to cook. If you are cooking this on the stove, you will have to simmer this for 1.5-2 hours to get completely tender mutton. I also recommend adding water from time to time if the curry looks like its drying up.
Denver Pinto says
This is amazing - notwithstanding the fact that my name is Denver too!!! And I lived for 11 years in Bangalore, near Fraser Town. Denver.
Richa says
Hahaha this is such a coincidence! Thanks for following along and really happy you liked this recipe Denver. My husband says hi too!
Marina says
Hi Richa
High flame for 30 mins did not work for me. It got quite burnt actually 🙁 Managed to salvage it though! Am not much of a cook so should have realised the flame was too high for 30 mins in my IP.
Joy says
I like the recipe u have shown I ll try them at home
Richa says
Thanks Joy!
Ellen says
Hello there,
I'd love to try this recipe🙃. Looks delish! So you hand grind all the dry ingredients? Cinnamon, cloves, etc?
And what cut of lamb is best for this recipe? Thank you for sharing.
Richa says
Hey Ellen, nothing is hand ground in this recipe - I'm confused - where are you seeing that?
Also, you can use a mix of lamb leg and shanks for this recipe.
Ram says
Excellent recipe....
I made a slight change.... added coconut milk to the dishinstead of ghee at end.....
Really easy... delicious and superb one.....
Richa says
I'm a huge coconut milk fan and I can imagine it adding a new twist. Glad you liked it!
Anisha Lazaro says
My first time at cooking mutton and it was such a hit with my boys! Couldn't believe the meat was literally falling off the bone..
My meat masala was too spicy so I added coconut milk to the gravy in the end with some coriander leaves..
Paired really well with dosas too!
Superb recipe!
Richa says
I'm so glad you and the boys liked this recipe Anisha. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Devyani says
Hi. I’m waiting to try this recipe in the Instant Pot. I’m new to the IP too so this may be a very basic question - would I cook it at high pressure at 45 mins? Just wanted to confirm as I though the cooking time was less than that for mutton so just wanted to confirm the pressure level.
Richa says
Hey Devyani, 45 minutes on high pressure is enough time for mutton to cook in an IP. However, there are times when cooking times can vary based on the quality of mutton. Start with 45 minutes, and if its not tender enough, add another 10-15 minutes on high pressure. While cooking this is in an IP, let the pressure release naturally.
Aditya Singh says
Very simple and easiest recipe ever seen for mutton.
Richa says
Thanks Aditya!
Suganthi says
Very yummy. Going to prepare immediately.thanks
Richa says
Thanks Suganthi. I hope you like it!
Meena says
I had been struggling to make soft melt in the mouth mutton curry for so long that I gave up on it. I stumbled upon this recipe by accident and I’m so grateful I found it. Amazing easy and simple.It has now become a staple at home. Thank you so much.
Richa says
Thanks Meena!
Sheeba says
Thanks for the recipe Richard, it came out really well👍👍
Wanted to post the pic of the curry..but I guess there isn't that option ryt??
Richa says
Unfortunately, we don't have that option Sheeba but you can send it to me on Instagram if you follow me at my_foodstory. I'd love to feature you there!
Parinita says
Best mutton recipe....m zero in making mutton but your recipe made me an expert in making mutton....thank u so much....wish I could share the pic....
Richa says
Always happy to help Parinita 🙂